"A Bit Dead, but a Good Value"

If you are the kind to get easily creeped out by cemeteries, then you will probably not want to live here given its proximity to Colma to the north. When you are on the streets here, however, you really don’t notice that there is a cemetery nearby.

Homes here are both on the older and on the smaller side, dating from the 1950s and ranging for the most part between 1000 and 1500 square feet. Part of what is depressing prices here is the Foreclosure Crisis. It has hit this neighborhood particularly hard with more than 75% of the homes being on the market due to foreclosure.

As I mentioned the homes are on the smaller side and from street level you definitely get that 1950’s lower middle class feel of perfectly square lots pushing up against each other. This effect is heighted by the right angles that make up the front lawns with their perfect straight walkways. This neighborhood seems to be from the tract house period where people were satisfied with having a home, regardless of how bland it looked.

These homes mostly have back yards and do have spaces in between so you can get to and from the backyard without going through the house. There is the occasional tree or hedge in a front yard here or there, but part of what makes this neighborhood look so sparse is that lack of these kinds of ornaments. Even when people do add a bit of personalization to their homes, it tends to be closer to their front doors than out on their front lawns.

Put simply, I guess, this is a middle class neighborhood where families pretty much earn the Bay Area average: $70K. (Still $20K higher than the California average.)

As to schools, they are generally pretty strong—above average from both elementary to high school, which is much more than can be said for most schools in the city.

And with the South San Francisco BART station nearby, this is definitely a good place from which the BF can commute up to the city. My commute will be longer and require me to take CalTrain, but that isn’t too far either. (Though I would probably have to use the car, I suppose.)

Overall, this seems like a pretty good neighborhood and probably one of the best values in the Bay Area.

"Too close to acres of cemeteries"

Winston Manor/West Winston Manor is a small South San Francisco suburban neighborhood. The district is almost exclusively residential with modest neighborhood aesthetics. It spans about 1.5 square miles with a total population of just under 10,000. The ethnic makeup of the neighborhood is somewhat diverse, with 50% white, 30% hispanic and 20% asian. However, the area’s one downside is its proximity to Colma and its acres of bleak cemeteries to the north (Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Holy Cross Cemetery and Woodlawn Cemetery).

While Winston Manor and West Winston Manor are situated along the scenic San Francisco peninsula, there is nothing too exciting about its suburban quarters. The neighborhood is as a whole is pretty flat. Homes are typically old and range between one and two-story, middle-class residences. They are complete with small, but relatively maintained front lawns and skinny driveways. Moreover, properties lay ground to clean, recently paved streets. For the perspective homeowner, the typical household rakes in between $75,000 to $95,000 a year while the bulk of homes are priced between $500,000 to $1 million. Note: Nicer homes are situated closer to Highway 280 and mostly confined to Adrian and Buxton Avenue.

For your shopping needs, the Serramonte Shopping Center lies within close proximity to Winston Manor. The shopping mall includes big name department stores like Target, Macy’s, JC Penney and handful of smaller but well-known shops and restaurants. Winston Manor/West Winston Manor is also close to the South San Francisco Bart Station, which so happens to skirt the northeastern edge of the neighborhood. And for recreation, California Golf Club is located adjacent to the district’s limits. The 18-hole golf course is a private club for locals.